Five Drown in Indonesian Selfie Accident
The jetty on Lake Kandi in West Sumatra where five tourists died as they tried to take pictures together
Five members of an Indonesian family drowned when a dock where they were taking a selfie collapsed, police said Thursday, just weeks after a similar fatal accident.
The family of 14 were at picturesque Kandi Lake in West Sumatra when they gathered on the wooden structure to take a group photo, but their combined weight brought it down, police said.
A 17-year-old was among the five who drowned while the rest of the family survived the Wednesday accident.
“They were taking a selfie on the dock when the incident happened,” said local police chief Junaidi Nur, who added that it was after closing hours so no security was at the site.
A rescue effort later retrieved the bodies and an investigation was being carried out, Nur said.
This month, nine tourists drowned after their overloaded boat capsized when they were attempting a selfie in a reservoir on Java island.